Martin Short Canadian comedian Martin Short—who is actually quite short as a male at barely over 5’7’’—is also an actor, writer, and producer, and is known for being the ultimate master of impersonations and personification. He was born March 26, 1950 in Ontario, the son of Charles and Olive Short. Before getting into acting, Martin Short studied at Hamilton, Ontario’s McMaster University to be a social worker, but then decided to pursue acting after taking part of the Godspell production in Toronto, where he met his future wife Nancy Dolman, a Canadian actress. The production also included actors Dave Thomas, Eugene Levy, and Andrea Martin. Martin and Nancy later married in 1980. Today, they live in California (maintaining dual citizenship) with their three children Katherine (1983), Oliver (1986) and Henry (1990). Martin Short has an extensive filmography as an actor stemming from the early 1970s to 2005, and also as a writer and producer. He is also renowned for his work as a comedian on T.V. programs such as SCTV—for which he received the Earl Grey Award at the Gemini in Toronto in 1995—and Saturday Night Live, and for starring in many T.V. series, made-for-T.V. movies, and doing voiceovers for several films.
He has portrayed very creative, colorful, and memorable characters in his time, most notably Franck the wedding consultant on Father of the Bride in 1991 and its sequel in 1995, starring Steve Martin and Diane Keaton. Other characters include Jiminy Glick in Jiminy Glick in Lalawood (2004), which also featured Janeane Garofalo, and other noteworthy characters such as the man-child Ed Grimely, commentator Troy Soren, and nervous lawyer Nathan Thurm, among many others. One particularly notable accomplishment for Martin Short is that in 1994 he was named a Member of the Order of Canada. Martin Short has also been honored multiple times for his work in both acting and writing. His awards include both an Emmy Award and a Nelly Award in 1982 for outstanding writing on the SCTV Comedy Network; an Outer Critics Circle Award for outstanding actor in the musical The Goodbye Girl and a Theater World Award, both in 1993; and two more awards (an OCC Award and a Tony Award) in 1999, both for the musical Little Me. His family has also left quite an impression. Short’s mother, Olive, was the first-ever female concertmaster in all of North America. His older brother, Michael Short, is now a very successful comedy writer and two time Emmy winner. And Short’s cousin, Clare Short, is actually a member of the British Parliament. |
